Why did veteran Park Hye-jin, who led BNK's victory, stroke Lee So-hee's head?
Mar 03, 2025
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Based on Park Hye-jin's great performance, BNK Some beat Samsung Life Insurance and took a golden opportunity to reach the championship game for the first time in two years. BNK won 66-57 without allowing a turnaround after taking the lead late in the second quarter in the first playoff game against Samsung Life Insurance at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on the 3rd.
Five best members, including Park Hye-jin, Lee So-hee, Kim Sonia, Ahn Hye-ji, and Lee Ijima Saki, collaborated on 11 3 points, completely making up for the inferiority of their height, which was far behind 22-34 in the number of rebounds. Four of them scored double-digit points and played an even role in the attack, but Park Hye-jin, who has a lot of experience on the big stage like the playoffs, stood out.
On this day, about two minutes after the start of the first quarter, Park Hye-jin succeeded in scoring her team's first score with a deep three-pointer shot from far behind the three-point line, increasing the team's momentum. Twenty-one points, including four three-point shots, were also the most in both teams, but the defense that minimized its power by alternately taking charge of Bae Hye-yoon, the opponent's core of offense and defense, along with Sonia and Park Sung-jin, was also a decisive factor in the victory. The franchise star, who played for 16 years in only one team at Woori Bank, moved to BNK, his hometown team, as an FA ahead of this season. He took on a new challenge to become the best member of the team.
However, he turned 35 this year, and the aging curve was inevitable. After leading the team's lone top spot after the start of the season, injuries forced him to stay on the bench in the second half of the standings competition, and had to watch his team fall to second place. Of course, the regret will be great, and he shook it off without regret in the first round of the PO on that day.
After the game, Park Hye-jin was "unnerved and burdened by losing to Samsung Life Insurance (2 wins and 4 losses) in the regular league, but she was able to gain the upper hand by winning the most important first game in the short-term game."Of course, Hye-yoon's defense was difficult. This is because he is so experienced and has a considerable number of physical fights. But it's better for me to do it than leave it to my juniors. I tried to make it too much, but I think it went well."
Park Hye-jin often plays as an opponent's big man matchup like the game on this day due to the situation of the team whose main players are composed of small lineups. Park Hye-jin said "I was the tallest among the main players, so I had to feel awkward blocking the opponent's big man." However, as I learned a lot of know-how from the coaching staff and adjusted to the regular league, I feel less awkward now."
Park Hye-jin's good sense of shooting on the day was contained in the long-distance three-point game, which can be called Signature. Park Hye-jin said "I'm raising my shooting sense from the end of the regular league. I'm trying to find the average rather than particularly good or bad." Rather than putting it off to my juniors, I thought I should be more active and contribute to the attack."
It is inevitably different from the postseason at Woori Bank and at BNK. In the previous team, there were so many 'Taza', but in BNK, he has to lead. Park Hye-jin said "Of course, it's very different. At Woori Bank, there are so many experienced players, so they are thorough in detail even if they don't have to talk about it. However, in BNK, there are times when juniors are quickly satisfied and solved. So I purposely made the team atmosphere heavy until yesterday, and I told my juniors not to laugh after training. I'm sure there's something I'm upset about and dislike, but I'm grateful that you understand it well," he praised his juniors.
In particular, Park Hye-jin mentioned Lee So-hee and Kim Sonia. At the end of the fourth quarter, Lee So-hee made a three-point shot and played a backcourt, stroking her head and encouraging her. Park Hye-jin said "So-hee is a very good shot player. He was stiff in the attack when he was out injured, but when he went back on the court that day, he had a lot of space and options as the opponent's defense stuck, whether he went in or not." "So-hee was so good at offense, but she didn't show as much affection as the offense in defense, so she scolded her a lot. "Because I shouldn't be a half-length player." "When I hurt my ankle, So-hee was not on the bench with me due to an injury, so I learned a lot while rehabilitating." He also felt sorry for his juniors. We are now comfortable with asking each other," he said, expressing affection.
As for Kim Sonia, "After scoring three points, Kim Sonia runs up and does another jumping ceremony, but it's honestly a little hard to match."" He is a really energetic player. It's hard to keep up with the tension, but it gives the players such good energy."
BNK will have the second game at the same place on the 5th, two days later. If you win here, you will have an absolute advantage in the best-of-five PO. Park Hye-jin said, `You must never relax in the second game. The first game was a good shot, and if you don't go in the second game, you have to win the defense first"It's going to be hard for everyone, but I make a pledge with my juniors to never show a hard time on the court. I'll do my best," he said emphatically.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
